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JOHN A. MINOR, OF MIDDLETOWN, CONNECTICUT.

Letters Patent No. 76,340, dated April 7, 1868.

IMPROVEMENT IN FEEDING-MEGIIANISM FOR SEWING-MACHINES.

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ToALL WHOM IT MAY coNoERN;

Be it known that I, JOHN A. MINOR, of Middletown, in the county of Middlesex, and State of-Connecticut, have invented a new Improvement in Sewing-Machines; and I do hereby decla-re the following, whentaken in connection with the accompanying drawings, 'and the letters of reference markedthereon, to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same, and which said drawings constitute part of this specification, and represent, in

Figure 1, a sectional view of' a sewinganachine plate with my improvement attached.

' Figure 2, a reversed view, showing the opposite side in one position; and in Figure 3, the same view in another position.

This-invention rela-tes to an improvement in that class of sewing-machines which employ a wheel-feed." In such machines it is well known that, while for direct or straight seams the wheel-feed is preferable to the drop-feed, it is very diilcult to turn a short corner or right angle without greatly retarding or entirely stopping thc movement of the machine. Thus, while the machine with the wheel-feed is most desirable for certain classes of work, for other classes it is impracticable, thus oiIering a series of objections to this class of machines. By my invention this diihculty is entirely overcome, and it consists'in the construction and arrangement of a drop feed on a plate, independent of the machine, and yet so as to be attached in place of the wheel-feed, and so that either the wheel or drop-feed may be used by simply taking out' the one and' inserting the other.

I In order to the clear understanding of my improvement, I will proceed to describe thel same as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.

A is the cloth-plate; B, the ear or lug,`to which the wheel-feed is attached; C, the connecting-rod, for operating the feed, which is moved by an eccentric, D, on the driving-shaft E, operating on the lever F on the shaft G, to which the connecting-rod C i`s adjustably attached by a loop, H, and adjusting screw, I, all in the usual and well-known manner of wheel-feed machines. The attachment of the connecting-rod C to the wheelfeed, 4and its operation, are too well known to require explanation. I need only say that the screw J serves to secure the wheel-feed into the lug B, when placed therein, and, by the removal of' the said screw J, and disconnecting the levers from the rod C, the wheel is quickly andeasily removed. I construct a plate, K, to be inserted in place of the wheel-feed, and so as to be secured to the lug B by the same screw, J, as seen in fig. 1. Upon the-said plate K, I arrange a sliding bar, @having formed upon one end the common toothed feed, L, and from below the bar a, I extend downward earsM and N, the tail of the bar resting on a support, P, and borne down by a spring, d, attached to the plate K. On a bearing, R, on the plate K, is pivoted a lever, S, its upper end forming a cam to support the bar a, and give to the feed its up-and-down movement, the said lever being actuated, through lthe connecting-rod C, in like manner as the lever on the wheel-feed. Upon the lever S is a projection, denoted -in broken lines, extending between the two lugs M and Non the plate A, and narrower than the space between the said lugs, as denoted in figs. 2 and 3.

'.lhe opera-tion of this arrangement is as follows: W'hen the lever S is turned to the feed, as from the position denoted in iig. 2,' to that in red, same Iigurethe centre line only of the lever and connecting-rod being represented, it simply raises the feed, as denoted in red, and, when so raised, the projection on the lever has moved so as to come in contact with the lug N. Continuing its movement by bearing against the said lug, the feed is carried forward to the position denoted in fig, 3, and, on the return of the lever S to the position denoted in red, iig. 3, the feed is dropped, then carried back to the position denoted in red, ready for a second feed, and so continuing.

When the wlIeel-i'eed'is preferred, remove the plate K, detached from the conuecting-rod C, which removes all that pertains to the drop-feed, then insert the wheel-feed in its place. Thus the person may have both feeds, if desired. The length of the feed is adjustable' by the nut I in the same manner as the wheel-feed.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new and useful, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

The arrangement, onlthe independent adjustable plate K, ofthe lever S and the feed-dog L, substantially as described and for the purpose specified.

JOHN A. MINOR.

Witnesses:

D. NEWLAND DAVIS, S. A. Romnsozv. 

